Don't Be Afraid of the Dark - NEVER Make Fun Of The Pirate!
Chapter 4
Dartz and the gang don't know that they're being followed by allies of his brother, Raiko yet...but they soon will as Voorhees is also rather familiar with one of these mysterious people
Voorhees manages to beat Grimm down and knock him unconscious, but he didn't have time to make it all the way back to the ship then to Dartz and the others before they're dead...and he knew they were in trouble
Voorhees decides to draw a Glyph that opened a portal to the interior of his quarters back on the ship and tossed Grimm on his bed, his door was locked with Orc Magic and only himself and Baccus knew how to open it from the inside and no one was stupid enough to enter Voorhees' room without permission, so he wasn't worried about his son escaping no matter how smart he was or thought he was
He closed the portal as he saw the unfinished Glyph drawn into the possessed Orc's neck, he finished it for him and it activated on it's own, giving him control of his body again as he gasped, both eyes their original red as he jumped away from Voorhees, shocked "I-is that you, Lord Garland?"
Garland was the Orc Chief before Voorhees, he was Voorhees' father but he died when Voorhees was almost an adult, naming him the new and youngest Chief of his people with his dying breath...people thought Voorhees killed him and tried to deny him his birthright as the only of 40 siblings to outlive his masochistic and very prideful (both traits Voorhees inherited) in his own power, father but Voorhees was not one, despite his cruel nature to keep secrets from anyone, partially due to how terrible he was at keeping them...if he didn't tell you something, it was because he didn't see you as worthy of knowing that something
"Hn..." The Orc winced a bit but didn't move an inch as Voorhees finished the Glyph seal on his dark green, almost brown skin as he was asked "Make up your mind...stay here and die as a warrior, or live on as a free Orc...what will it be?"
"I will live...but I want revenge, that is the only demand I have" the Orc rose taller that Voorhees who scowled "I don't know if I appreciate the nerve, but so be it...if you can move and fight"
"I am Attilan, master archer...I pledge my Volk to you" Attilan showed his giant Bow, Volk to Voorhees as his eyes widened at both the Orc's name and the legendary weapon nearly as big as Attilan himself as he nodded "I sense another Orc among them, c'mon and don't drag your feet, Master Attilan" Attilan's Volk Longbow had no string attached to it or arrows, this had Voorhees curious as to how it functioned, especially in the hands of a Hunter like Attilan
Voorhees went off to find the others with a very calm Attilan easily keeping up with him, he was not as easy to anger as Voorhees but was a force to be reckoned when he did get angry
Back with Dartz and the others was a Orc, he was easily twice Voorhees' size and wielded no visible weapon...not that he wasn't still extremely dangerous for someone who could barely whisper, much less speak
Everyone stops in their track at someone whistling, a whistle that very painful to anyone's ear, be it Human/Mutant, Ghoul, Orc or Beastkin
"Fucking hell!" Drakko snarled as everyone held their ears at the whistle and he sent a glare in the the direction of the sound, a large Orc finally stopped the whistling and glowered at the group as he signed one thing [You...are the ones who took down Raiko?]
Nic is the only one of them who fully understands Sign Language as he signed back [What business is that of yours...what if we are?]
The Orc gave a sadistic grin and raised his head enough for them to see the massive scar over his neck and throat [I appreciate the nerve of a human science experiment to sign something like that to me...I will remember you in looks, taste and all...translate to the one with the bandana that I want to mount him and Raiko as my trophies]
Nic looked mighty annoyed about this as he looked at Dartz "He wants you and Raiko-san...as his war trophies...he's mute...hence, that fucked up lookin' scar"
"Sometimes, I really wonder if you two are related by how potty your mouths are...you lack composure" Rogue says in growing annoyance as Nic asked "Of what use would composure be to a killer, should one not give nice things in order to receive them?"
"What does that even have to do with this...may I remind you that we have a Orc the size of a house in our way and I think he wants you to look at something, Rogue" Berserker says as Rogue looked at the Orc's only tattoo on his right shoulder of his own name in Orcish and in English as she said "I think that's his name...Roman?"
Roman was indeed this Orc's name or one of them anyway as he had many names but he preferred the names Roman or his given at birth name, Ukai as he disappeared like a blur and people started going down until he got to Dartz, who he sent flying with one punch before he could even block though Victor managed to catch him
Ukai/Roman was an Orc who fought with his bare hands and feet but he was more dangerous than most Orcs with weapons as he was as strong as he was fast without things like these, which was a hinderence to him anyway
Ukai staggered for a moment as he charged at Colossus, who was punching him left and right with Drakko as Scott and Renji shot at him from a distance, Jean would disable him telepathically but his mind was like a Trap door slammed shut and she honestly didn't care to know what he was thinking by the look in his purple eyes anyway as no attack was even fazing his battle worn and thick skin
He lunges at Berserker and Rogue again, determined to crush the rude girl between his teeth but a rain of arrows from his left sent him flying away from them
"Didja miss me?" Voorhees said as he stood in the distance with Attilan crouched at his side, his bow's intricate carvings glowing to life as he turns on Rogue, aiming at her until Voorhees growled and smacked him in the face with the back of his hand "That's my crew, don't fuckin' dare aim that thing at them without my permission...idiot"
Attillan didn't seem to care very much for Voorhees cussing him out as he turned on the other Orc's allies as he fired on them by touching the middle of the bow with his finger, then pulling an ethereal white energy from it all the way back and letting go, hundreds of white energy arrows raining down on them
Jericho and Echo didn't seem at all pleased about this as Echo could barely hold back his anger "Why is this no surprise...Raiko always spoke of this strong Dartz person, but he's even more useless than Raiko himself" he laughed madly as he revved the saw on his sword as a white energy moves from the hilt to the tip of the blade, he then swings the big sword with one hand, destroying the arrows with ease then again almost hitting the two Orcs
Echo then looked down to where Ukai fell "I don't like to be kept waiting, Master Ukai" this triggered Ukai to jump back up and grab an unsuspecting Rogue and Berserker again...initially grabbing Rogue before Berserker tried to save her only to be taken along
Echo then lunged at the two, but Voorhees got in the way as they both wore sadistic grins, Shin and a very moody Juggernaut tried to help them but the Scythe wielder, Jericho got in the way as his scythe had the unique trait of nullifying any magic-based attack and even a punch from an infuriated Ghoul Juggernaut was taken like nothing as he could take a punishment before he kills his enemies
Dartz became frenzied once he saw Ukai ready to retreat with the two X-Men for two reasons, Ukai picked the who time to mess with Rogue and two, he didn't know if Azazel would decide to just pop in to see his daughter kidnapped while in his care...he's pissed enough to even fight the Demon Lord right now as he shot white flames at the all but fire resistant Orc as he snarled "Get yer ass back here!"
The three disappear through strange portals (like Venjix in Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal), while Dartz went ballistic and Titus was barely able to pin him to a tree for Victor to slap some sense into him "Dartz, get a grip...I have a feeling this won't be the last we see of them...I won't let them get away with this"
Victor was even more prideful that the last time he and Dartz met, losing was a blow to both their prides as Dartz pushed him away easily despite being barely half Victor's size "I'm friggin' fine..." He lied as he aleady felt the mouthful Bane and Azazel might have for him should they learn of any of this...something he's determined to NOT let happen
"We're almost there..." Titus said as he left and everyone followed, feeling rather gloomy and quiet as Dartz squeezed his eyes shut whispering "I'm not strong enough...I'm sorry" tears came to his eyes as he pushed Baccus away from trying to comfort him, neither Rogue nor Berserk...as he and Kakuzu called Berserker was any less important to him than the others
Voorhees came beside him and tried to comfort the Ghoul as well "This is my fault...if I had come sooner-"
"This is my fault and mine alone...ye tried yer best, all o' ya, but this is my burden...not yers, Voorhees, ye were no less useful that I was, clearly" Dartz said, a chilling feeling coming from his voice as Voors knew he hated losing the most of any member of the crew
Voorhees didn't say another word and nodded, despite not agreeing at all with it, Dartz never taught him to fight but was still a mentor figure to the nearly twice his age Orc, he even put his life on the line for Voorhees, something only few members of the crew could say proudly...this made Dartz mentally handicap himself by not using his full power in a fight, making him seem weaker than even Voorhees despite being far out of Voorhees' league
He made Voorhees a much better fighter by almost killing him at his fullest power, that's why Voorhees respects him...he has what Voorhees lacks, self-control as Vorhees asked "Ya alright?"
Dartz said nothing but shook his head that he was far from alright as they made it into the Slums finally and Titus scowled even deeper "Home bitter home...we're here, stay close and watch your asses...no one here is all that they seem"
Everyone nodded as while you may not see evil things coming your way back in the city until they come, they did not hide in the Slums as people stopped at nothing to get what they want here, especially if what they wanted was to leave which all of them wanted even if they chose not to be open about it...they also fear the Garuda Force, a group of the worst cutthroats Garuda had at his disposal as his law enforcers...a group that both Titus and his younger brother was a part of and rumor has it, his older brother was still a part of, at least as a means of avoiding Garuda himself. They also had their eyes on the Black Fangs right now, which only Titus seems aware of
Titus stopped in his tracks, then looks behind them...clearly not in the mood to have Garuda eavesdropping on what he already knew, that Titus was here to kill him "All of you, get out here right flippin' now"
Dartz and Voorhees seemed well aware that they were here as well as Dartz said "ye heard him...come out here, while I still have my animal under control"
Voorhees growled as Dartz' hand was on his chest, only thing strong enough to stop Voorhees here was a death threat from Dartz or the thought of worse, fighting him in his current mood as Voorhees snarled "You picked the wrong day to fuck with us...Garuda's hench-monkeys"
Suddenly, blades flew towards Voorhees without warning, but Attilan shot them out of the air with his Volk "They're hiding...they're trying to see what we're capable of before making their move"
"Oh, they'll see soon enough..." Dartz said as they followed the sound of cheers and fighting to find Garuda's Lion's Den
"It seems someone hasn't learned what happens to those who can't hold their tongues yet" Daiji said as he appeared to be a bald Chinese monk "Here's a hint, Titus...since I know you're a little slow and frankly, stupid...they lose them" he seems to be the least dangerous of the group as he wasn't a physical fighter but had a multi-purpose flute with him that either immobilizes several adversaries, summons strange creatures or summons the other members of the Garuda Force to him depending on the song he plays (like Tayuya from Naruto)
'Koko ni kite, watashinokao ni sore o iu node, watashi wa anata no sono kuromudōmu o narabe kaeru koto ga dekimasu!' (Come down here and say that to my face, so I can rearrange that chrome dome of yours!) Titus snarled
"That's enough, Monkfish...this is as kind as I'll be if you continue insulting my brother" a hand on Daiji's shoulder stopped as he brought his flute up to play the last tune Titus would ever hear while Baccus put an arm in Titus' way, warning him less than subtly "Don't try it or you'll both answer to me" he said to both Titus and Dartz
"K-Kudon?" Titus said looking at his near unrecognizable older brother with surprise as nothing about him seemed recognizable other than his voice as he grinned taking a bag from his pocket with a his drugs from Garuda-sama and sniffed a handful of it in his palm, which felt like one was shot full of gun powder in it's much more potent powdered form and he stared at the pissed Titus "Ah, welcome home, nii-san"
"Where's Yamato nii-san, this place is no longer our home, I'm here to get you out of here" Titus said as four of the five Ghouls laughed and one of them disappeared as a woman appeared at Dartz' side, she was sexy but clearly in a type all her own as she appeared beside Dartz, hugging his arm, she was Yumiko and she wore a skin tight suit as she latched to his arm "Ooh, looks like you found me a husband too, thanks you...ooh and a side man too" she looked behind Dartz to Kommamura as he scowled at her
Both Ghouls were pretty clear that she was of no interest to them though as she focussed on Dartz, rubbing her hand on his bandana and attempting to seduce him, which only pissed him off even more "Got a name, handsome?"
Dartz grabbed Kitty by the waist and pulled her as close as possible to him "Already taken and even if I wasn't taken, yer barely even worth havin' a one night stand with...Yer too fragile"
Yumiko was annoyed "Fragile?!" But she was cut short by Dartz back handing her to the face, sending her into a tree with a sarcastic "Cap'n, I think me bad reflexes be actin' up again" while flexing his shoulder
"Yumiko...that's about enough of that" A Ghoul named Daichi said as he was the youngest but one of the strongest of the group, he had stern blue-green eyes and white hair "I'll ask Lord Garuda to give you one later"
Yumiko sneered at Kitty and grabbed Kommamura's butt as she came to her feet as he glared and almost punched her "fuckin' molester, keep your hands off me if you wish to keep them on your body!" He wasn't at all keen on her even being near him, let alone touching him
Daiji scowled, he only liked Yumiko when she was behaving herself and following orders, not being as overly seductive as her personality was before giving into Garuda as he scowled "Yumi, behave!" Playing his flute, his tune was beautiful but it wasn't all for show as it had Yumiko paralyzed, he was quite the charmer after all
Kommamura held his ears, but could still hear the music clearly...apparently that was pointless as he looked at Gedharm "I'll never disrespect your singing ever again, but THAT is atrociously bad...also, I'd take Lady Tsu Chen, the only female Ghoul Lord of China over her any day, they're both the same but at least she's not fugly"
"Rude Wolfman, learn your place!" Daiji played a different tune paralyzing everyone as well as summoning large white creatures with no eyes but mouths full of fangs to attack
A hand on his shoulder stopped him, it was A and B...twin Ghouls that were known a deadly duo, they were also strong enough to probably rival Garuda on their own...if Garuda let them and were raised by Garuda just like the others alongside Titus and his two brothers but were always beaten around by either Garuda, who almost killed them each time or someone they tried to steal from in the Slums who would try to kill them unless Garuda came to their rescue
"Atachi...Butachi, better known as Ass wipe and Butthead" Titus said to the twins as he laughed at the irony "You two pieces of trash are still alive...I thought I warned ya to bury yourselves under a mountain...you're still dead weight even more now than when I was your leader"
Atachi, the twin with his hand on Daiji's head sank his nails in with frustration as Daiji clobbered him hard with his extremely hard flute and a glare, as he snarled "You conniving...you'll pay for leaving us for dead soon enough...that's my head, A and the next place I'll hit is your spine"
"Sorry..." A said holding his poor hand as another Ghoul, a member of Yamamoto's Hatake Clan named Yamori, he wasn't nearly as happy as Yamamoto and his lack of trust where Orcs and Beastkins were concerned didn't make things any better as Attilan had his Bow in his face already
Yamori smiles archaically and knowingly, he tried to make Lord Garuda kill the Orc on many occasions for nothing he personally did as he allowed the Archer to open his shirt to see an Orcish Seal known as the Heaven's Gate Seal, this seal eventually will kill him and send his soul to the Orc who put it on him, he thinks that Orc is Attillan as he sneered "You want my soul, Orc...I'll take your spine first"
"I am sorry for you...but I wasn't the one who placed that seal on you...Your soul is also useless to us both apparently" Attilan said as he touched the seal and instantly felt that strange mute Orc's power in it as he hasn't removed Volk from the Ghoul's throat "your anger is misguided, I will have the head of the Orc responsible for this however...even if it kills me"
"The same guy that took Berserker and Rogue?" Dartz puts two and two together as Attilan nodded without looking at him "That may be the one...this wasn't the intent for which this seal was created...usually the Orc branded with this seal was a traitor to his kind and would be killed before the seal could do anything"
Yamori scowled and pushed Attilan away "I gave you permission to look, not touch...take your eyes off me, Orc and you're dead"
Attilan rolled his eyes "I may feel fear, Ghoul but that doesn't mean I scare easily...I rarely miss a bullseye with my Bow either"
The Garuda Force took off as Dartz and Attilan share a look of confusion before some of them carried some of the X-Men as Beastkin, X-23, Wukong and Kurt were the only ones not as tired yet from their long journey thus far
At the Lion's Den, there were many things going on but the most important thing that had everyone's attention was a cage match going on, where those who can kill what or whoever comes out of a rift made by Garuda win a hefty prize and their kill...everything stopped however once the Black Fangs and the X-Men arrive however as they stuck out like a sore thumb
Everyone went to find a seat as Kurt accidentally knocks over a Ghoul's cold water, the Ghoul got up and growled at him, suddenly he saw Voorhees and Attilan glaring at him, Voorhees wore a mad grin as his eyes glowed purple and Attilan showed no emotion as his eyes shimmered red
The Ghoul simply sat back down and grumbled as he let them pass "Well, that escalated quickly..." Kurt chuckles even though he almost just had a mini heart attack as Attilan lifted him onto his shoulder "You need to be more careful...hold on and don't try anything stupid"
"Like what?" Kurt dared to ask as Attilan poked his tail wrapped around his arm with his finger "like teleporting away with my arm"
"I won't..." Kurt assured him as Voorhees said "You're lucky that wasn't an Orc, otherwise he would be lookin' for a fight too"
"Ah, it seems our special guests have arrived..." Garuda said as Titus scowled and growled "Garuda...I could care less for your special treatment as long as I can send you to hell"
"A returning son from the outside as well...I thought I taught you better manners" Garuda sat on his throne as he raised a hand and Kurt began floating towards him, Dartz and Attilan holding him from flying straight to the sadistic war monger, who was part of two Binge Wars prior to the one Taeger was in, making him older than even the current Ghoul Lords by a bit
Titus was just about ready to lunge at Garuda but he stopped him "Oy, don't be so rash as to come at me, Titus-san...I know you too well for that to work and you might miss your brother's return to the fold..."
Everyone's attention went to the fighting cage where the illegal fights took place and Titus was shocked to see Yamato, Titus' other brother about to have a fight against one of Garuda's most bloodthirsty enslaved monsters, a Majin
"He won't win...much less survive this" Shin said, he has encountered Majins before and while they were naturally very happy and carefree creatures that hated violence, angering one of them will unleash a darkness in them, making them sadistic killing machines that loved killing almost as much as turning people into candy, they cry at eardrum shattering levels when they don't get what that want too, they shared their candy with those they respect as well but weren't trustworthy given that they're demons that live in the human world
This particular Majin had pink skin, a curled antenna on it's head that it used to turn people into candy and holes on it's head and chest that blew steam when he was mad, red ringed eyes on black sclera and the only clothes it wore were a pair of baggy white pants with a strange 'M' symbol that seems to be an attribute of Majins on the belt and black and white shoes
He was nearly twice Garuda's height and not very muscular as he looked up at Garuda who sneered "You may begin..." This made the Majin walk calmly closer to Yamato and crouch to his level as he could barely stand, let alone fight him which he didn't think was his concern
"My name is Majin Shinkan...what's yours?" The Majin said looming over Yamato who replied "You're gonna eat or kill me anyway...but I have no intention of giving you my name...go to hell"
Shinkan turned to the Black Fangs and put one hand over his face and the other pointing at Yamato crying "Aw, he won't tell Shinkan his name..." He suddenly went from crying to laughing as he looked at a pissed Titus through his fingers
"Shinkan will call you 'Butterscotch' then, my favorite candy" Shinkan grinned showing his fangs as he played with Yamato's hair, never breaking eye contact with Titus "Interrupt my fun and I'll eat you up as well...try me"
As soon as he turned away however, Dartz threw one of his axes like a boomerang which sliced Shinkan's arm off "I thought you'd never ask...I'm making a substitute"
This distracted Garuda enough for Voorhees to place a seal on Collossus and Titus without either of them knowing before telling Attilan "Take aim...I wanna see what else that legendary weapon of yours can really do"
Attilan nodded and took aim "One clear shot is all I need" as Voorhees jumped into the air at Garuda with a sadistic scowl, he was still pretty mad about losing to that Orc that took Rogue and Berserker as he activated the seals he put on Collossus and Titus
As soon as Voorhees was above Garuda, he said "Piotr, Titan...now" as Piotr and Titus was teleported to his side thanks to his temporary seal on them
Piotr said "Let's do this" as he delivered a powerful punch to Garuda's face at the same time as Titus and Voorhees took his head off with their respective weapons as Titus glared at Voorhees "Oy, the name's Titus...get it right or the next head I chop off might be yours, Orc!"
Voorhees sneered "Yeah, like that'll ever happen...sure, you've become considerably stronger since we last met but not stronger than Dartz or my captain...hence, not worth my respect yet" he couldn't take someone who he perceived as weak in his eyes seriously
Meanwhile, Dartz found someone to take all his anger out on, but what still worried him was that Azazel may come unannounced, though he never gave the Demon Lord any reason to be displeased with his children in his care
Dartz stood between Yamato and the Majin, but dropped his axes at his feet, which confuses the other two
"Oy, Baka...I'd pick those up if I were you, Majins are near indestructible and you just pissed that one off" Yamato warned Dartz for his own good as the Majin picked his amputated arm up and stuck it back on like chewing gum with Dartz reflecting in his eyes as he growled "You wanna be turned into candy too...fine...you first then everyone else here!"
Dartz clenched his fist, shaking with anger as he and Majin Shinkan walked closer to each other and punched each other full force, shaking the arena up but Shinkin overestimated how much Dartz could take in terms of punishment, especially when he was really pissed off and annoyed, like right now
"Does anybody else think this is too easy?" Bobby thought out loud as Voorhees said "the cruel evil and all powerful Garuda taken down so easily and yet my blade still has a taste for blood...yeah, this is too damn easy"
Suddenly Kitty grabs Voorhees just in time for a poisoned blade to fly right through him as he says "finally decided to detatch yourself from Dartz' hip, I see..."
"I don't think this is over..." Kitty asks as she screams when Attilan fires his bow again, this time at the ceiling above them as an invisible Garuda was about to ambush them again saying "Garuda...why don't you just die already?!"
Garuda disappears again however as he appears right behind Attilan as blades protrude from the edges of his Volk and he swings at him but Garuda stops the weapon literally inches from him and grabs Kurt by his hair as he caresses Atillan's face, causing yellow to creep into his eyes again but he resists, irritating Garuda "Ooh, you Orc plainsfolk do really piss me off sometimes..."
Victor and the other X-Men attack him but he snaps and sends them all flying "Magic 101...Darkness and Fire created the most powerful Fire Magic on Earth, Amaterasu...Fire and Ice or Water made Taeger's Frozen Flame, Reien...so what do you think Darkness amd Wind would make?...Instead of telling you, how about I show you!"
Garuda tosses Kurt aside, he had an idea who his father was but felt more in the 'kill them all' mood than taking any hostages but has a better idea to make an example of him as he created a black hole that threatened to pull everything in "Time to make some real fur fly!" He laughs as he holds Kurt up in the air with one hand and simply let him go with a sarcastic "Oops, my hand must've slipped"
Kurt was about to die when a Beastkin swung in and caught him, no one knew the hooded figure was a Beastkin until he removed his hood to reveal a proud mane and a face of a Lion as he growled and placed Kurt down gently and said calmly and giving off the feeling that he was very proud "Careful...and take care of my body for a second, kid"
The Beastkin fell face first to the ground, almost crushing Kurt as the Elf asked "Is he okay?" Kurt dared to touch his face to see that he was no longer alive, making the Elf rather displeased with Garuda but decided taking care of this dead Beastkin was more important
Elsewhere, the Beastkin's spirit travelled to another Beastkin who had been watching the Black Fangs and X-Men since their arrival, his younger brother who was twice his size
A Tiger Beastkin stood a the top of the stands where everyone was cheering on as Garuda was trying to murder everyone, he wasn't too thrilled about this...his fur was bright yellow with black stripes and his eyes glowed an ominous bronze as he folded his arms and watched them fight without missing a beat and bit away at a piece of his favorite Lemon Bread they brought from a merchant here that he didn't trust due to Garuda's people trying to kill them for their fur coats not long after
The Tiger Beastkin had custom blades that pop out strapped to both arms, he would use his natural claws but Garuda placed a curse on them that made them go from stronger than steel to more brittle and easily broken than human bones, he felt tremendous pain if they were broken even if he had a sickening pain tolerance and they grew back normally as his claw gauntlets popped out like Wolverine's claws, he was getting very excitied by this fight
He sensed his brother's spirit near him and spotted Kurt crying into his brother's mane...something he won't be happy about when he wakes up as he muffles a laugh until his brother's spirit snarled "Rakshasa, stop loafing around!"
Rakshasa choked "Excuse me...you know you could've simply called out to me instead of making the blue kid think Garuda just killed you, right, Linus?"
"I didn't want Garuda knowing we were both alive yet" Linus said as Rakshasa said picking his teeth as he saw a scary glow in Kurt's eyes "the kid look pretty pissed now though...I'd get back to my body too, if I were you"
Daiji noticed Rakshasa acting weirdly, since he couldn't see or hear Linus' spirit, he began playing his flute as the Beastkin was about to leave his position, Rakshasa hated his music and heard him breath as he's about to play however, throwing a piece of Lemon Bread big enough to completely plug his flute "Have some lemoney Lemon Bread, baldy...that should keep you quiet for a while"
He then left to fight, hating things that got between him and a good fight, especially where Garuda and his croneies were concerned, as he dove at Garuda moving at great speed with yellow sparks coming from his body that didn't seem to be the same as electricity
Garuda has been experimenting on Beastkins and other creatures to find a way to traverse the Spirit World, Rakshasa and Linus were among the few Ghouls and Beastkins to survive, giving Linus the ability to have his spirit leave his body for a certain period before his heart would stop permanently and Rakshasa gained the ability to tell a person's intent by the colour of their aura as well as commune with spirits, only he can see and speak to Linus' spirit as well once it leaves his body, Garuda managed to trap the brothers in the spirit world, but instead of dying they were given new abilities and literally tossed out to their own world, where they never felt welcome to begin with...they didn't know or really care who or what in the Spirit World saved them or gave them these new powers
Drakko, feeling sympathy for Kurt and not trusting the other two Beastkins went over to Kurt "Hey, what the heck to ya think you're doin', kid...leave him before he wakes up and tears you limb from limb!" He scolded as Rakshasa said with a laugh "You must be mistaken...my big brother is not very ferocious despite his outward appearance, he's not gonna murder you as long as you don't get any more tears in his pride and joy mane than you already have"
"Big brother...no, you're twice his size so you have to be older" Iceman says as he adds "He's a Lion and you're a Tiger...how are you even brothers to begin with?"
"Size or Species of Cat has nothing to do with it...He's older, I'm younger or have you not noticed that he's still huge...I get that all the time though" Rakshasa added as Linus woke up to see Kurt laying on his mane as he jumped away startled "hey, as cute as you are, kid...don't EVER cry into my mane again and can I get the names of that gruff yet cute bandana guy and the big sexy one?"
Linus had his eyes glued to Colossus and Dartz as Dartz joined them and avoided eye contact with him and Piotr was just confused and annoyed as Dartz glared "Cut that out and I'm already taken, I'm warnin' you"
Linus managed to grab a still confused Piotr's butt and rubbed Dartz' chest "hey, I'm gay and single...I haven't done it in a while either, so bite me if you think I care"
Dartz didn't bother removing his hand as he ignored the Beastkin even more now "Did I not just say I was taken, matey...Pheromones don't work on me either, so stop wasting your time...should I care if ya like men or women?"
"Smartass...it took you that little time to figure me out?" Linus asks as Rakshasa put his hand over his mouth "Stop already..."
"You were watching us since we got here...weren't you?" Voorhees asks "I knew I sensed someone strange while we fought...that strange Orc...until I'm sure you're not with them, I'll be watching you...closely"
"Strange Orc...we did pass a particularly strange and outright ugly Orc on our way here, he had two dead humans with him...they had X symbols on their clothes" Rakshasa says as Dartz' rage flared, Garuda charged at them but Dartz snarled "Can't ya see we're in the middle o' somethin' here?!"
Dartz summoned his spirit, Glyph who easily held him back with all of Dartz' power and barely any of the Spirit's own as he summoned his other Spirit, Spritz to heal everyone but Garuda and himself "Heal everyone but me and Garuda"
Both his spirits seemed worried about this as Spritz asked in a cute voice "Are...you sure about that, Master?"
Glyph's head turned 360 as he looks at the others, beeping as usual before agreeing with Dartz and speaking in a commanding voice as the symbol on his face blinked with each word "Master is right, Pixie...your concerns should be healing everyone before him...do as you are told!"
"Whatever...and the name's Spritz, not Pixie!" Spritz sighed in annoyance as Glyph gave a rather rude "Your name...is too stupid for me to remember every time, you know"
"No arguing, you two!" Dartz snarled as the two stopped arguing and did as they were told as Spritz made dew appear in the air and fall on everyone but Dartz and Garuda, healing them as Dartz said in Latin to Glyph 'Gaia contritionem' (Gaia Breach) as Glyph beeped a few times and repeated what Dartz said, as his body hardened before focussing his energy into a bronze beam that was shot at Garuda, hitting him in the chest
Garuda overhears that they lost two of their own, which he somewhat already knew due to watching the group ever since their visit to the Crypt but as for where Berserker and Rogue are or who took them, even his vision was clouded, this really ticked Garuda off as they've come after him before as well
Garuda also isn't one to mess with or tick off, having earned the moniker of 'The Dark Ghoul Lord' as many others have tried to take the name for themselves, including Kami as he sneered, already way ahead of himself on how he'll betray them and regain his physical freedom from this place "Oy, Pirate...I can help you get back at those guys who attacked you - and yes, I may not have sent them after you myself or know who the hell sent them after you or me, for that matter, in the first place - but I can help you as long as you meet...certain conditions, seeing as the Kurosaki Massacre was shown to be a total fluke and mockery to such a great clan"
He uses the word 'great' very loosely, as Kami was and still is the only person he hates more than anything as Dartz snarled "and what's that?"
"I want them to do something about this seal their prodigal pariah used to keep me here" Garuda again used the term 'prodigal pariah' very loosely again to describe Kami as everyone looked at each other thinking of what to do next, Titus was not pleased at all with playing nice with Garuda...mainly because Garuda didn't play nicely...especially with others
Garuda knew Titus too well for him to just up and trust him after the hell he put him through as he was never one to not have a contingency plan and he had several particularly for Titus who came between Dartz and Garuda only to take a healthy swing with his Death Axe at the Pirate who managed to dodge "Are ya mental, what're ya doin', mate?!"
"I should be askin' you the same damn thing, Dartzy!" Titus snarls as Dartz glared at the infernal nickname Titus had for him "I didn't...come all the way here...to play nice...with the likes of him!" He glared into Garuda's eyes
Garuda mostly ignores this as he says to his men "Bring him out...I think I've finally found a use for him"
"Him who?" Dartz asks as the Ghouls brought out a body of a man as everyone realized that it was the body of their long deceased enemy...the master manipulator, Michael Darkstone as Garuda disappeared and Darkstone's eyes opened, eliciting a cringe from everyone but Rakshasa and Linus, who weren't involved in the fight against him that lead to his death and only gave Dartz more reason to not intervene in Bane's last fight against Kami, who Michael knew had already betrayed him, this didn't do wonders for Dartz' or Voorhees' mood either
Elsewhere, Shin and Juggernaut makes it to the Living Library...so far, it seems ordinary but nothing is as it seems here...
"Wow...you should see this, teach" Juggernaut said to Shin as the door of the Living Library opened for them as a voice said, emanating probably from the Library itself, Juggernaut assumes given that it's called the Living Library (sort of like the voice when you start a Bejewelled game, but creepier) saying "Welcome to the Living Library..."
"Well, I do feel a presence here, if that's what you're implying...the magic here pulsates like a heartbeat" Shin says, being far more experienced than most people including Juggernaut in terms of sensing magic
"A heartbeat, huh?" Juggernaut liked to observe the blind Ghoul's actions and knew that if Ghouls already had senses beyond that of a human then Shin's abilities must be even more crazy than Ghouls he knew with sight "that's crazy...Living Library or not, a building doesn't possess a heart to be beating"
"True...but I hear breathing as well, do you really think you can hide from me, Sun?" Shin asks as Sun walks out reading a book "How long did it take for you to know I was following you...?"
Sun was still getting used to being free from the two worst Ghoul Lords of his generation...and he didn't even want to get started with Kami, he has vowed to never leave Shin's side again for the things he did and Shin agreed to kill him if he goes back on his word...he was itching to do it, actually
"I always know-" Shin was about to say but Sun stops his former friend "I already know how impossible it is to hide from you, Shin...I was talking to him, not you" he points at Juggernaut
Sun and Cain Marko was not friends...in fact, Shin knew that they more than openly hated one another because Sun reminds him of Xavier, which caused him to nearly get into a fight with the Ghoul Lord of Russia, Lord Vlad for him calling the Ghoul Lord out and a spitting image of Kami, Xavier and Magneto
Juggernaut wanted to kill Sun on the spot for merely talking to him but chose to ignore him as he explored the Library "Hey, Library...do you sell Wind, Dark and Fire Tomes?"
"Yes...Tomes of all rarities and elements are sold here at reasonable prices...you may have yours for free" The Library answered as arrows directed them to their desired location and an infinite amount of Tomes were found and catalogued by elemental affinity as Shin asked "Free...why and can I get access to your R-Section?"
"If you wish..." This was the Library's only reply, making Shin believe something wasn't right as he dared his luck further "Are you an ally of this man...Garuda?"
"Knowledge has no ally or enemy...I do express a desire to be moved to a more...hospitable location, however" the Library said as the three Ghouls looked at each other as Sun asks "Moved...how the hell are the three of us supposed to move a practically endless and one of a kind Library to God knows wherever?!"
"Sun!" Shin snapped very angrily before going into a forced calm "Show some respect...besides, I think the Library itself may hold the answer to it's own problem"
Sun watched Shin carefully, the silent giant wasn't nearly the easiest person to anger but it seemed that everything Sun did brought him closer to a breaking point where he'd end up dead or worse and everyone knew there were worse things Shin could do than killing as he loved to cause pain and was even better at it than the Torturer, Guren whose job it was to cause others pain, he was very clear when he said that he'd never forgive anyone who dared to harm Bane Asakura who was nearly killed by Sun as a kid and was an adult now but Shin still wasn't willing to trust him that much ever again
"Do you have an idea how to help us help you get out of here then?" Sun asked the Library as a book came flying toward Sun, clocking him in the back of the head before the pages opened showing a strange but surprisingly infinite item called an Infinity Cube or InfiniCube as Sun was shocked "Wow...how the hell do you expect us to make that?!"
Shin suddenly punches him in the face, taking the book as he was sent flying to Juggernaut's feet...the pages turned to Braille as he touched them to read "Huh...this usually would take several Ghoul Lord-level Ghouls to make...the three of us should be able to make it, a Hybrid and two Ghouls beyond the power of a Ghoul Lord"
"Tell me you're ready...and joking" Sun scowled as Juggernaut activates his Kakugan with a sadistic grin "This sounds dangerous, but I think I'm ready"
"Indeed..." Shin grins as they began research on how they were going to do this with books found for them by The Library itself
Elsewhere, Berserker and Rogue were thrown into a large room that can only be accessed by making an exit with Earth Magic and the only person with Earth Magic in the room was in a Charged Demonite cage that was imbued with a ton of Lightning Magic somehow, strong enough to pack a punch without killing him...not that he'd be willing to help them anyway when he could kill everyone
Berserker and Rogue woke up in a large room with other strangers, some of which were Hybrids...not like Bane Asakura who was born a Hybrid but through their genes being forcibly meddled with against their will to study if an artificial Ghoul/Mutant Hybrid can be made
Rogue was taken specifically because of her powers while Berserker was taken because he tried to play the hero or to see who would be the case if he was injected with Ghoul or Orc pure genes, but there were a few dying or already dead Ghouls and Orcs whose bodies were incompatible with an X-Gene that was created by a brilliant Human scientist that was a Surrogate to one of the people who took Rogue and Berserker
"Look..." Berserker directed Rogue's attention to the Ghoul sitting in the back of the cage glaring at the two before smirking darkly with his head down slightly and curiosity got the better of Rogue as she cautiously got closer to the cage only for the Ghoul to lunge at them and almost grab them by the face...only getting a bit of Rogue's hair which he sniffed, then proceeded to eat
His name was Juūgo...and he wasn't called Wild Juūgo, the Animal for nothing, being the most powerful but least sane or willing to care for anyone but himself here
The two young mutants cringed at the sight of this as Juūgo's clan was said to be the ones gifted with the Sage Powers of the Elder Spirits, but not nearly the same control that the Elder Spirits show, as Juūgo and his Wild Juūgo personality was opposite sides of the same coin as Juūgo was by nature, very cowardly, quiet and avoided a fight at every chance he got...Wild Juūgo was as the name suggests...wild, sadistic, loud, confrontational and will always be looking for a fight, he had equal intelligence as his more sane counterpart too but finds it bothersome to use in a fight anyway
Juūgo glared at the two as he remained seated at the back of the cage as he grinned madly as his skin on the left side of his face was normal but on his right side began to darken to a deathly black as his orange hair and eyes darkened with his natural Curse Mark abilities, which makes him all but immune to all curses being laid on him and naturally stronger that most normal Ghouls, even other Binge Eaters
Juūgo looked at an Orc near his cage, not knowing English and seeking a translator...the Orc wasn't even Japanese but had a knack for translating old languages to languages spoken today including his native Orcish prior to being kidnapped and experimented upon like Rogue and Berserker will soon learn 'Watashi wa karera to hanashi o shitai nodesuga, hon'yaku shite mo īdesu ka?' (I want to talk to them, care to translate?)
The Orc, Aran, was surprised by this as Juūgo has been all but cold to them, believing them only to be failed copies of him due to their lack of control of their new abilities given by his blood, even compared to his own, which lacked control in it's own right
"Why should I trust you...the last time I almost got killed...twice" Aran said as Juūgo said with completely fake innocence 'Watashi wa anata no kao ni kamitsukanai koto o yakusoku shimasu. Aran, watashi no yūjin' (I promise not to bite you in the face, my friend, Aran)
"We're not friends...and you never did that" Aran said, keeping his distance should that become a reality as he said 'Anata futari... Anatahadare de nani o shite imasu... Watashi wa anata kara no osore mo shōjo kara no mahō mo kanjimasen, anata wa ningendesu ka?' (You two...who and what are you...I sense no fear from you and magic from the girl, are you humans?) And Aran translated it to the two young X-Men looked at each other
"We're mutants...and she's the daughter of Lord Azazel why you can sense magic from her" Berserker said, looking Juūgo dead in the eye as everyone looked shocked or scared...Azazel's wrath was known far and wide after what Michael Darkstone did to Azazel's children and their friends before being turned on and killed by one of his own, Kami once it was clear that his death was imminent by the hands of Sabertooth and Wolverine anyway
The X-Men offered Ghouls, Orcs, Beastkins and all sorts of magic weilders a home among humankind as long as peace was possible and there were rumors that a city was being built as a sign of this peace with the help of a Ghoul Lord, Kami's father, Ryujin and the entire might of several Clans including the Ghouls' Kurosaki, Uzushio and Asakura Clans, The Beastkin's Orders of the Red Lotus, White Lotus and Yellow Lotus as well as their Orders of the Claw (which Drakko is a part of and should be the head of, instead of the Council he made to rule in his place) and Fang respectively and the Orcs' Sun and Moon Clans as well as the near two and a half million Orcs that serves Lord Voorhees' Starlight Clan
Juūgo gestures for the two to come close to him, Berserker was clearly not trusting of this and put his arm in Rogue's way until Aran said "He won't hurt you...I don't think even this cage could stop him if he wanted to though...it's electrified with Lightning Magic a lot of it"
"Wow...that's reassuring" Berserker said as Juūgo attacked the cage, only to be flung back with second degree burns that healed but long lasting sparks of electricity that were the least enjoyable to see or feel
The two came up to the cage and Juūgo put his hand near where he ripped out Rogue's hair earlier, a feint green glow making her hair regrow to how it was before turning their attention to a large, green mechanical spider on a wall watching them
This Spider was in fact a spirit, one of many Ukai has taken forced ownership of and was called Arachno, the Watcher of Chaos as an bloodshot bright red eye opened on it's back and stared around before focussing on the two X-Men
Arachno jumped from the wall to the ground, growing from the size of a tiny Chihuahua to the size of The Hulk as it bared it's large fangs, dripping a clear venom that was far unlike that of normal spiders as it can kill a being's soul as easily as straight up just taking someone's life...the soul will also become damned, unable to cross to heaven or hell as it's front legs were sharp enough to slice through most things, including pure Adamantium
It came here to test Rogue and Berserker...consume them if they fail to stand up to it's stronger than most known metal webs or it's unique venom as the six eyes on it's head opened and closed like a scope but a golden chain smacked the spirit into a wall, not really fazing the fearless creature as despite not being the most powerful of the Chaos Spirits, he was still able to kill Bane's spirit, Bastion...an Elder Spirit, if they fought seriously and has clawed it's way out of other dimensions before
"Hey...don't come near my patients or I'll squash you, bug and I could care less who your master is" a voice said as an Orcish doctor appeared behind Juūgo's cage choking him from behind, he was wearing a white lab coat "Now...behave, animal or I might have to rough you up!"
This Orc Doctor was Talos and he was more of a mad scientist with a streak for taking more lives than he saved, he pulled out a large needle as Juūgo began struggling even more from the twice his size Orc as his ember eyes glowed "I don't fear animals...fiercer animals than you have been my dinner"
This was enough for the already angry Berserker as he said "I hope he understands English better than speaking it...Juūgo, brace yourself!" He took off before Rogue could stop him, jumping to the top of the cage and charging it with his powers, knocking Talos back before he could take Juūgo's blood "Don't touch my friend!"
"He's not your friend...you just met, ah, I've never seen you two before, must be the young mutant I needed for my experiments" Talos smiled evilly "I can't help it...being a bit narcissistic with my new toy"
He sat up and immediately made eye contact with Rogue before she screamed "Ray, look out" but it was too late as Talos jumped up to his level and used an ability he gained after years of experimentation on himself as his fist grew to nearly the size of Berzerker's body to punch him
He blocked it but was thrown hard against the wall, he'd heard that Ukai wanted the two alive and untainted by his so called sorcery but he wasn't pleased about his needle being broken...as he had need for more of Juūgo's and now, their blood for his experiments as he slipped behind Rogue and grabbed her, licking her cheek with his black tongue "So lucky you are...Lord Ukai wants you alive...untainted"
"Ukai?!" Berzerker snapped, both remembering the mute savage that took them and nearly killed them and their friends...particularly Dartz, who seemed to be one of their main targets
Rogue slips off her glove and kissed the Orc while touching him when he least expected it, weakening him and stealing whatever powers and memories he has, including the way out
"We're out of here..." Rogue said as she now knew how to get out of here as with one punch, Juūgo's cage was in pieces "Let's go before one of those psychopaths show up"
Juūgo decides that he wouldn't kill the X-Men, especially Rogue if he had any plans of getting out of here at all as he caught Berserker as he fell as Rogue touched the wall "It should be around here somewhere...I hope"
She found the special magical switch to open a door anywhere but the wall opened on it's own with Ukai standing there "What do we have here...?" He signed as Juūgo did everything he could to get to the Orc and bleed him dry just like their Witch Doctor nearly did to him
Even Wild Juūgo knew better than to be reckless while fighting a monster among monsters like Ukai who went for Rogue first but was stopped by a powerful attack from a weakened Ray who he goes after instead
Berzerker would give his life for his friends...even if he would much rather die anywhere but here against Ukai and Rogue knew that and admired it but she knew that Dartz especially would be destroyed if he dies as he respects him as a fighter more than anything since the first time he stood up to him and fought him
Suddenly, the wall burst open next to Ray with a burst of white sparks that seemed to hurt Ukai but not Ray as a warrior know as Oktai 'Jullius' Khan who was nearly the same size as Ukai and simply exuded power as he brought his sword down on the Orc, knocking him away as his eye slowly turned to Berzerker as he turned to leave "You will not die a warrior's death today, young one...come" his voice was deep and lacked emotion
He turned to leave, not looking back...he didn't care if they trusted him but he was an old 'acquaintance' of Bane Asakura and while he didn't really know or care to know the X-Men, they saved the world from Michael Darkstone and while he could tell that killing was not in their nature, hence their avoidance of it at all costs, he couldn't let them die
He turned to leave as Ukai was going to be down for a while but not out as Rogue could see that he was still breathing as Juūgo grabbed her and jumped to the whole made by Oktai
It was quick to see that Juūgo didn't trust this Ghoul as he asked 'Anata no namae wa…' (Your name...what is it?)
The Mongolian glared at him but seemed distracted by something else 'Ta üüniig udakhgüi medej bolno ... Ta zöv olsonykhoo daraa, yamar ch khor khönöölgüi gesen üg' (You will know it soon enough...once you've earned the right, I mean you no harm however)
He put away his spear and drew his dual swords "I am doing this as a debt to a friend...Bane Asakura, be ready for these people won't allow us to depart from here alive"
"You know Bane...how come he's never told us anything about you?" Berzerker asks as Oktai said "because it's none of your business and I personally told him that he was forbidden from doing so or I'd get angry with him...he knows better than to anger me"
"That's weird..." Berzerker says until Rogue draws his attention to something concerning the Ghoul/Human peace that Voorhees didn't like...that not all creatures cared for the company of a human to begin with "Think about what Voorhees said...not everyone will be willing for peace with human, since they have their own families to protect too"
"You don't trust us, do you?" Rogue asks Oktai who replies "I don't trust the weak...growing stronger is the only way to earn any respect from me and your means of doing that doesn't matter or concern me either"
"Strength isn't everything..." Berzerker seems to be quoting Logan but Oktai saw things much differently "It is...when it is all you have to rely on...stand back"
Oktai broke through a wall but found that while they were out of the facility, they were in the Dark Dimension and touching anything here would kill them, so he uses magic to create a portal back to the Human World and heard noises behind them, seeing Ukai far off with Arachno in front of him
"Go!" Oktai said as everyone shuffled into the portal but him as he threw Juūgo through it just to make sure he did so "I will join you..."
"No, you won't" Ukai signed as the two X-Men snarled together "We're not leaving you!"
"I have more than a bone to pick with this guy" Berzerker said as Rogue said "just wait 'til my father hears about this..."
Oktai could tell that these two were no strangers to fight odds greater than they can handle, even though this was neither the time not the place and he hated running as he grabbed the two and threw himself into the portal, which closed immediately
Everyone is unconscious but alive in the Human world on a strange island but they were being watched...
A finely dressed Lynx Beastkin known as Lynk found their bodies but didn't get near them, he saw them as trespassers on his island and was tempted to drag them out to sea and drown them all before they woke up, but he decided to leave them and watch them like a hawk...their survival chances here were slim anyway, even if they weren't as weak hearted as they looked and he had no intention of leaving this large island not to far off Hawaii
A/N - Rogue and Berzerker evade death thanks to a stranger's help but Dartz and the gang already know about this island (as it was their original destination before it was changed to Japan) but can they survive sharing a ship with Garuda in Michael Darkstone's body without someone daring to try to kill him or throw him overboard and how does Oktai know Bane? More on that next chapter!